Frost and Ashes
by NethanielShade
Summary: Sapphire is a simple Breton Imperial Soldier... Until she gets dragged to Helgen, almost killed, saved by a dragon and thrown on an Epic Journey through Skyrim. F.Dovahkiin x ? Will contain major spoilers but will contain many things not in vanilla game, and things altered by me. Might become M for graphic violence and possible lemons later on, but for now it's fine.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Fire and Ashes**  
"I would not want to live in a world without dragons, as I would not want to live in a world without magic, for that is a world without mystery, and that is a world without faith." -R.A. Salvatore, _Streams of Silver_

_The child stared at the sky in disbelief... He ran back towards the crowd, as the people of the town looked up and saw something from a nightmare._  
_People and animals panicked. Somewhere in the distance, a loud deep church bell sounded._  
_Citizens rushed towards frightened horses, guards rushed towards the place townsfolk ran from. The guards, wearing chain mail with brown leather and a blue sash, pulled off their full-head helmets, many throwing them down and running to family._  
_A girl and her mom huddled up together on the ground, getting trampled._  
_A man falling from the roof of a building._  
_And one soldier, different from the rests, stood in the middle of it all. The soldier adorned full iron armor, and a horned iron helmet. The soldier's icy blue eyes watched for moments more, fingers curling and uncurling. The soldier slowly unsheathed it's sword, a silent shiiiing of metal on metal heard, and equipped it's shield. The soldier was one of the very last still heading in that direction._  
_Boom. Dust. Dirt, and snow. The soldier, or maybe more accurately a warrior, stopped and looked up at the beast roaring at the warrior._  
_A dragon._  
_With a smile, the female warrior took a step forward, the very air around her seemed to be chanting,_  
_'Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin. Wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal.'_  
_Then time seemed to stop, and the world went silent._  
_Following this was a thundering sound as the female warrior seemingly shouted at the beast. The very earth beneath her feet was dislodged, and a trench flew towards the beast. Above the trench, the air distorted and flew as if it was a shockwave._  
_"Fus, Ro Dah!"_  
_The dragon's head was flung back from the force, and the female warrior watched as the scales flew off of the beast, one at a time. Only a few came off, but it was pissed._

Sapphire jolted up, awaken from her dream. She'd been getting them non-stop, every time she went to sleep. The sound of horse hooves and a carriage had awoken her.  
"Hey, you. You're finally awake." Said a blond Nord with slightly long hair. He also wore that strange chain mail-leather armor with the blue sash from her dream, along with fur leggings and boots. The man had icy blue eyes, like most Nords.  
"You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there."  
She had indeed been trying to cross the border.  
She looked right and saw said thief, and another man. The thief looked at the first man who talked and growled, "Damn you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy."  
So. The man was called a Stormcloak? And then she looked at the carriage driver. An Imperial Soldier. Wait, that can't be right! Sapphire was an Imperial Soldier! She looked down and noticed her hands were bound, like the other's. However, the third man, who hasn't spoken yet, had cloth wrapped around his mouth preventing him from talking.  
"If they hadn't been looking for you, I could've stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell." Said the Thief, then he turned to her. "You there. You and me - we shouldn't be here." No kidding. "It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants."  
"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief." Said the Stormcloak.  
"Shut up back there!" Yelled the driver.  
"And what's wrong with him, huh?" The Thief asked the man who couldn't speak.  
The Stormcloak chastened the Thief. "Watch your tongue. You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King."  
Wait, what? She knew well enough that the Emperer's name was Torygg Septim. Or was the High King different? She knew not; she's never been to Skyrim.  
"Ulfric?" The Thief asked. "The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion."  
Rebellion? The gears started turning in Sapphire's head. The Stormcloak believed the leader of the rebellion to be the true High King. This meant the Stormcloaks were rebels. They've probably committed treason.  
They were being sentenced to death.  
Sapphire knew some magick. Not much, but enough. She knew a flames spell... Sadly, she only studied Alteration and Restoration and a small bit of illusion. If she tried a Destruction spell, it could be horridly wrong. Nope, not a chance.  
"But if they've captured you... Oh gods, where are they taking us?"  
"I dont know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits." And suspicions confirmed.  
"No. This can't be happening. This isn't happening."  
"Hey, what village are you from, horse thief?"  
"Why do you care?"  
"A Nord's last thoughts should be of home."  
"Rorikstead. I'm... I'm from Rorikstead."  
They were finally reaching the gates to a town, more of a walled village. An Imperial Soldier, standing on the wall, shouted. "General Tullius, sir! The headsman is waiting!"  
Great. Not only was the man on a horse following them a General, but the headsman was waiting. They were being sentenced to death, alright.  
"Good, let's get this over with." Said the General, named Tullius.  
"Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kinereth, Akatosh. Divines, please help me." Said the Thief.  
"Look at him." Said the Stormcloak, looking backwards. "General Tullius, the military governor."  
Greeeaaat.  
"And it looks like the Thalmor are with him." Sapphire quickly whipped her head around to see a woman on a horse, and two Elven soldiers joining Tullius. "Damn elves. I bet they had something to do with this."  
No kidding. Sapphire hated the Aldmeri Dominion.  
There was a pause of silence. Sapphire looked around the village, noting the wooden straw-hatched houses and stone towers. And Imperial banners.  
Then the Stormcloak sighed. "This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here. Wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in."  
Sapphire raised an eyebrow. Juniper berry mead. Mead was an alcoholic dream with fermented honey and water. And juniper berries mixed in? Sounds good!  
"Funny," the Stormcloak continued. "When I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe."  
Yeah. Her too. Sapphire used to train as an Imperial soldier.  
They came up to a house that had a man and his son on a porch. The child sat cross-legged on the ground.  
"Who are they, daddy?"  
"You need to go inside, little cub."  
As they got closer Sapphire noticed a woman, also.  
"Why? I wanna watch the soldiers."  
"Inside the house. Now. " the dad said, but Sapphire missed the last half of the sentence as the driver yelled 'Woah!' And reigned the horse.  
The boy said something more, but it was lost by what was presumably an Imperial Captain, judging by armor, who yelled; "Get these prisoners out of the carts. Move it!"  
The cart in front of them had already parked, and prisoners filed out.  
"Why are we stopping?" The Thief asked as they started to pull up to a wall.  
"Why do you think? End of the line."  
The Imperial slid off his horse as the Stormcloak looked to Sapphire and the Thief. "Let's go. Shouldn't keep the gods waiting for us."  
"You've got to tell them! We weren't with you! This is a mistake!" Whined the Thief.  
Sapphire followed the Thief, and jumped off of the open back of the carriage.  
"Step forward and wait until we call your name!" Hollered the Captain, who was a female.  
"Empire loves their damn lists." Said the Stormcloak.  
"Ulfric Stormcloak. Jarl of Windhelm." Said the man standing next to the Captain.  
Ulfric walked away, as the Stormcloak called. "It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric!"  
Sapphire followed Ulfric with her eyes.  
"Ralof of Riverwood."  
The Stormcloak, whom she now knew as Ralof, followed Ulfric to a large area presumable town square. Many Stormcloaks and Imperial soldiers waited, along with a headsman.  
"Lokir of Rorikstead." The man said. The Thief, named Lokir, stepped forward.  
"No, I'm not a rebel. You can't do this!" Lokir said, before dashing away, hands still bound.  
"Halt!" Called the Captain.  
"You're not going to kill me!" He called back.  
"Archers!" The Captain called. Instantly, three Imperial Archers drew, aimed, and fired.  
Lokir fell with a thud.  
"Anyone else feel like running?" The Captain asked rhetorically.  
"Wait. You there. Step forward." The Imperial man said. She obediently stepped forward, hoping she'd been recognized.  
"Who are you?"  
Fuck.  
"I-I am Sapphire. Sapphire Valentinia, Imperial Auxiliary. I-I am a soldier. This is a mistake." She said, sadness evident in her sapphire-colored eyes.  
"Sure... So, are you from Daggerfall, Breton? Fleeing from some court intrigue?"  
"N-"  
"Captain. What should we do? She's not on the list."  
"Forget the list. She goes to the block."  
And it was that moment. She realized the Empire didn't care. She ignored everything else. The Imperial telling her of his sorrow, Tullius talking to Ulfric, everything. Then a distand echo sounded, snapping her back to reality.  
"What was that?"  
"It's nothing. Carry on."  
"What do you mean, it's nothing?" Sapphire asked.  
But they interrupted her.  
"Yes, General Tullius!" The suck-up Captain said. Oh yes, she was on her list if she survived this beheading somehow. "Give them their last rites."  
A priest, who was in between the headsman and the Captain, raised her arms. She was obviously a Priestess of Arkay.  
"As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the Eight Divines-"  
"Nine!" She yelled.  
"-upon you, for you are the salt and earth of Nirn, our beloved..."  
"For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with." Said a Stormcloak Soldier that wasn't Ralof.  
"I'll meet you in Sovngarde, brave one." Sapphire said the the Soldier as he walked to the block. Sapphire was a Breton, yes, but she believed in Talos and Sovngarde.  
"As you wish." Said the Priestess of Arkay.  
"Come on! I haven't got all morning." Said the Soldire before being violently pushed down.  
"My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same?" He said. He was cocky. Or he wanted to be in Sovngarde sooner.  
Crunch. A gut-renching noise was heard as the man was decapitated by the headsman's huge axe. She almost threw up, but shed seen dead people before.  
"You Imperial bastards!" Yelled a Stormcloak woman.  
"Justice!" Yelled another Nord man.  
"Death to the Stormcloaks!" Yelled a woman.  
"As fearless in death as he was in life." Said Ralof. Sapphire nodded.  
"Next, the Breton!"  
What?  
But she was shoved forward by an Imperial Soldier behind her.  
Then, the distant roar from the mountains.  
"There it is again. Did you hear that?" Asked the same Imperial who read from the list.  
The Captain looked down from the sky. "I said, next prisoner!"  
"To the block, prisoner. Nice and easy." He said calmly.  
A reluctant Sapphire steeped to the block. She tried to push the corpse away, but was violently pushed down.  
"Reaaarrgh!" And then the strange echo. This sounded more vicious than a bear or troll, much louder. And closer.  
Then black wings in the cold appeared behind the mountain.  
"What in Oblivion is that?!"  
No kidding. She had a great view, forced to look up at the headsman, a tower behind him, and the mountain beyond.  
"Sentries! What do you see?" The Captain asked worriedly.  
"It's in the clouds!"  
BOOM!  
Dirt, dust, and a black beast that landed on the tower.  
Shing, shing, shiiiiing. Sword pulled from hilts.  
"Dragon!"  
Boom! A shockwave erupted from the beast's mouth, right at her and everyone else.  
It killed the headsman.  
"Don't just stand there! K-" Tullius yelled.  
Boom! Another blast, straight at her. This one knocked her from the block.  
"Guards! Get the townspeople to safety!" Tullius yelled.  
Instantly, a barrage of voices as everyone started shouting. Everyone had recovered from shock.  
"-Breton! Get-"  
More yelling.  
"-Gods won't give us another chance!"  
It was Ralof. She sat, stunned as her eyes adjusted, then she looked up and bolted to the tower's open door just beyond Ralof.  
Once inside, Ralof talked to Ulfric, but she tuned them out. She was in pain. If the headsman hasn't been between her and the dragon, she'd be dead.  
Ralof dragged her up the tower stairs, but the dragon broke through the wall halfway and roared, sending flames curling along the inside stone works of the tower.  
She swore she heard three words in that.  
Yol. Toor. Shul.  
She knew them from a dream, but didn't have time to contemplate it.  
Ralof pushed her out of the hole, and she landed inside a house. A large section of the roof was missing.  
She fell to the first floor, and ran out the door. The Imperial man was there again. He ushered a boy to him, but the boy was slow and a dragon landed behind him. The Imperial grabbed the boy, Hamming, and dodged the pillar of fire that just flew at them.  
"Torolf!" He yelled and dropped the boy next to a man in iron armor.  
"Gods... Everyone, back!"  
He said something to her, that Sapphire ignored, then talked to the man in iron armor. Then, he bolted. Well, the man in armor was old. She would rather stick with a soldier than a boy and an old man. She she followed him.  
They ran down the road, and came on between two buildings. The dragon landed on one, a spike of it's wing nearly impaling her, as the man yelled at her to stay close to the wall.  
They ran through the village some more, passing bodies and soldiers. Buildings and fires.  
And all she could smell was Fire and Ashes.  
They came to an intersection in the road.  
"Ralof! You damned traitor! Out of my way!"  
"We're escaping, Hadvar. You're not stopping us this time."  
"Fine. I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde."  
She followed Ralof. He opened the door to the keep for her, and they went inside.  
It was dusty. There was also a body inside.  
He bent down and put his hand on the dead Stormcloak. "We'll meet again in Sovngarde, brother."  
He stood up and looked back to her. "Looks like we're the only ones who made it. That thing was a dragon. No doubt. Just like the children's stories and legends. The harbingers of the End Times... We better get moving. Come here. Let me see if I can get those bindings off."  
She held her hands towards him, and he cut the bindings with a knife. He told her to take his iron war axe, since she couldn't fit into his armor. Fine by her, she didn't want a dead man's clothes.  
He tried a door, but it was locked. They went to the other gate, and were greeted by the Imperial Captain's yelling. Perfect. She killed the woman, slashing her throat. Ralof killed Hadvar, or atleast it looked like him to her. Sapphire took the woman's armor and sword. Good thing. She was used to heavy armor, a sword and a shield. Plus it was woman's armor. She did keep on the rough tunic and foot-wraps on under tge armor, as it was cold outside. She threw the axe down, strapped all of the armor and hilt on, and pulled the sword out. It was relatively easy, as she'd been an Imperial Soldire once too. She also took the key and unlocked the door, but that was after she'd searched the room beyond. There she found two iron swords, one she strapped to her back and the other to her other hip, just in case. It also had four septims, and a book labeled "Mixed Unit Tactics." She figured they'd come in handy, so she took them, and put coins and book in a small purse that the Imperial captain had strapped around her armor.  
She returned to Ralof, they went through a hallway and came to a room where she killed two more soldiers and collected some potions.  
She also replaced her iron swords for two more higher quality imperial swords.  
They soon came to a torture room, where she replaced her iron dagger with the torturer's steel dagger, got some lock picks, another potion, a book about a "Dragonborn" which she only picked up because of the word dragon. She found an iron shield, which she yelped for joy in having, and unlocked the cage. She broke one lock pick doing so, but was rewarded. By more septims, a spell time, and robes. She put the robes on under her armor, and threw away the tunic and foot wraps. She loved the familiar feeling of magicka flowing stronger with the enchanted robes, plus they were warmer.  
They continued on, killing more Imperials, finally found a coin purse, more gold, and another potion next to a skeleton. She found more gold by another skeleton, killed some spiders... Which she hated. She collected some of the venom, using makeshift bottles from some of the smaller egg sacs in the room.  
Eventually, they came to a bear.  
"Hold up!" Ralof whispered urgently. "There's a bear just ahead. See her?"  
Sapphire nodded.  
"I'd rather not tangle with her right now. Let's try to sneak by. Just take it nice and slow, and watch where you step."  
Well Sapphire had never been good at sneaking...  
"Or if your feeling lucky, you can take this bow. Might take her by surprise. Go head. I'll watch your back."  
Well, she wasn't good with archery, either. She gently lauded the now and quiver he'd given her down, broke an egg sac of venom over her sword and...  
Charged the bear.  
She slashed it's side, bashed it with her shield, and right as it opened its mouth, she slashed sideways, sticking it it the head. She pulled out with a sigh. She cut its claws off, but couldn't take the hide.  
Then, they came to a snowy exit to the cave.  
"That looks like the way out! I knew we'd make it!" Ralof exclaimed, and they left Helgen. Once out, the dragon flew over head but didn't bother them. Ralof told her about his sister in Riverwood and to meet them sometime. He also told her to join the Stormcloaks.  
"So, why were you being executed?" Sapphire asked.  
"Seriously, you don't know? That was Ulfric Stormcloak himself!"  
"I'm not from here, and haven't been in civilization for a while. Haven't heard much about current events."  
"Oh, right. They said you were captured crossing the border. Still. I'm surprised you haven't heard of Ulfric. He's our leader - the leader of the Stormcloaks."  
"Who are the Stormcloaks?"  
"Surely even down in Cyrodiil people have heard news of the war in Skyrim. The Nords are tired of spending our blood fighting the Empire's wars, and paying for the Empire's decadence with our taxes. Ulfric is our rightful High King. He's leading the fight to drive the Empire out of Skyrim, once and for all."  
She nodded.  
"I was once... An Imperial Soldier. Do you really think I should join up with you Stormcloaks?" Sapphire asked.  
"Damn right. You don't have to be a Nord to fight for Skyrim's freedom. You should come to Windhelm with me and join the fight to free Skyrim. You've seen the true face of the Empire here today. If anyone will know what the coming of the dragons means, it's Ulfric."  
"I'll think about it..." And with that, she walked off away from Ralof.  
A little down the road, she picked some snow berries then she took the sign of the Warrior Stone. Then, she went to a camp a bit from it. A hunter there told her he was a poacher. So Sapphire bashed him on the head and the Bosmer Hunter fell to one knee, then she stuck her sword through his face. She took some septims and a gold ring off of his corpse. Then she took a coin purse from his ten, opened the chest next to it, where she found 54 septims, 3 lockpicks, a stamina potion... And a silver dagger.  
It was beautiful, and it could definitely do more damage than her steel dagger. So she threw it down and took the silver dagger. After all, it would be especially good against undead and werewolves also.  
She sighed, and continued walking to Riverwood, but eventually got tired and stopped. Riverwood was about three hours' walk from Helgen and she had maybe an hour left. Sapphire concluded no one was around, so she stripped of her armor and clothing and bathed in the stream running alongside the road. The water was cool and refreshing, as if melted snow. It probably was.  
Once done, and rid of the smell of smoke and blood, she rinsed the robes, hood, and her armor. The robes were meant for men, and she'd even taken them off of a man's corpse in the Torturer's room in Helgen Keep, but Sapphire had relatively small breasts... Okay, she had A cups. The Imperial Captain's armor didn't quite fit perfectly in some areas, breasts included. She concluded she'd have to get custom armor in Riverwood...  
Wait, why? Would she need armor? She asked herself as she wrung the robes dry. She also scrubbed the blood off of her armor. But would she need it? She planned on going with Ralof to Windhelm, so she just might need custom armor. She'd prefer steel, but she knew not of how big Riverwood was. The Blacksmith, if there even was one, may very well be just an iron smith.  
And what of her family? Her dad was dead, her mom was back in High Rock, and then her two siblings. She had a twin sister, Ruby, who she'd last heard of moving to Skyrim. Still, she knew not where her sibling would be. Then her brother, Malachi. He was a Mage, preferring to use his natural Breton powers. She was sure he lived in what was left of Winterhold.  
Maybe Ruby lived in the Capitol? What was it...?  
Sapphire had a moment to think about Skyrim's cities. She didn't know much... Solitude! Yes, she might check there.  
The scooted back on the shore... And landed in a clay deposit. Lovely. It, and she, wasn't too far from a waterfall in the stream, and right under a tree.  
Sighing, she went back into the water, washed off, and was careful to avoid the clay when she came out. She dressed back, first in robes then in armor. She was pleased the water wasn't too cold, even if the air had a bite, and her robes had dried off. She buckled her sword and scabbard to her waist, her other sword to the other side of her waist, her third sword to her back, and her silver dagger to her imperial steel boots. She went through the two coin purses she'd found, one from Helgen Keep and the other from the hunter/poacher, and found a gold ring in one. Shrugging, she put it back. Gold wasn't her taste. Sapphires, and amethysts, and silver on the other hand... She liked those.  
Strange, really. Sapphire had blue eyes with a amethyst band around the pupil, she believes the disorder was called 'central heterochromia'. And her favorite colors were blues and purples. Ruby had pink irises with red bands around the pupils. She liked all shades of red. And her brother Malachi... He had one light green eye, like emerald, and another darker-green like Orachulum, with a lighter, but not-so-light, green band around the pupils the color of Malachite.  
You see, her mom always told them they were special. Ruby was exceptionally talented, from birth, at sneaking and wielding daggers. Malachi had been able to use magic before he walked. Sapphire? She'd work hard on anything. She worked hard becoming the soldier she was, and she'd worked hard learning how to smith. Her mom, after all, was a famous blacksmith. Kasha Valentine, the "Gem Crafter". She'd found a way to make weapons out of precious stones. Her mother was one of the few people in the world who knew. Sapphire, her siblings, and undoubtedly others, knew though. Maybe it was why they were named after gems, and her brother an ore. Or it could have been influenced by their eyes. Who knew. It wasn't strange they all had colored eyes. Both her parents had hazel eyes, but it was strange they all had the same disor-  
Thunk!  
"Ow! What the f-"  
"A dragon! I saw a dragon!"  
Sapphire had been walking this whole time she'd been thinking. Now she just ran into the Riverwood wall.  
"What? What is it now, mother?" Said a boy, probably in his early twenties.  
"It was as big as the mountain, and black as night! It flew right over the barrow." Said an old lady, talking to him.  
They kept arguing, and she looked around. Sure enough, there was a barrow on the mountain to the left.  
The saw a blacksmith, working some metal. She walked up to him.  
"Ain't every day we get visitors to Riverwood."  
"Can... Can you make me something?"  
"Whatever you need. By Ysmir if it's simple and strong, I can forge it. Now, looking to protect yourself, or deal some damage?  
"I'd like some steel armor, then." She said smiling.  
"Good choice, it's better than that Imperial stuff you have there. Are you a soldier? I have have a nephew in the legion, named Hadvar. Surely you've met him?"  
Sapphire shook her head. She decided best to keep quiet.  
"Ah, well, I have a steel horned helmet and steel cuffed boots. Anything else you might have to wait for."  
Sapphire had 162 Septims in all. She couldn't afford either the helmet, or the boots (Which were overpriced majorly!)  
"I... Have very little money. May I use the forge?"  
"I see no harm in it, if you have the skill." He said, sounding mildly disappointed.  
"Maybe you have some steel I could buy?"  
"Well, I have eight ingots. Each one costs 170 septims."  
What? The steel cuffed boots costed 260! .  
"Well..." She sighed. "It seems we can't do buisness."  
"Okay, okay. Maybe we can make a deal. How many septims do you have?" The blacksmith asked.  
"One hundred and sixty-two."  
"Hmm. Well, I'm currently low on ores, it seems Embershard mine has stopped supplying me. If you could go and figure out what's wrong, and bring me back some ores, then I'll gladly give you the helmet and boots. But for anything else, you'll have to pay."  
"Seems fair. I just have one more errand to run, I need to meet with Ralof here. After, I'll set off for the mine."  
"Okay. Ralof should be back there, by the mill with Gerdur. Atleast, it's where I saw them last."  
She nodded thanks and crossed the bridge. Indeed, Ralof and a man and a woman were by the wood mill. The man was walking towards Ralof, who sat on a tree stump.  
"Now, Ralof, what's going on? You two look pretty done in." He said, acknowledging Sapphire.  
Ralof sighed. "I can't remember when I last slept... Where to start? Well, the news you heard about Ulfric was true. The Imperials ambushed us, outside Darkwater Crossing... Like they knew exactly where we'd been. That was... Two days ago, now. We stopped in Helgen this morning, and I though it was all over. Had us lined up to the headsman's block and ready to start chopping."  
"The cowards!" The woman said, who she guessed was Gerdur.  
"They wouldn't dare give Ulfric a fair trial. Treason, for fighting your own people! All of Skyrim would have seen the truth there. But then... Out of nowhere... A dragon attacked..."  
Gerdur chuckled. "You don't mean a real, live..."  
"I can hardly believe it myself, and I was there. As strange as it sounds, we'd be dead if not for the dragon. In the confusion, we managed to slip away. Are we really the first to make it to Riverwood?"  
Gerdur whispered, "nobody has come up the south road today... As far as I know."  
"Good. Maybe we can lay up for a while. I hate to put my family in danger, Gerdur, but..."  
"Nonsense. You and your lady-friend are welcome to stay here as long as you like. Just remember, my house my rules, you two. And just let me worry about the Imperials."  
Then she looked to Sapphire.  
"Any friend of Ralof's is a friend of mine. Here's the key to the house. Stay as long as you like. Anything else you need? Just let me know."  
Sapphire blushed. "We... We aren't..." She cleared her throat. "I won't be staying long, Madame."  
"In that case, here." She said and gave Sapphire three healing potions and some bread. Sapphire was secretly satisfied, as she was low on money.  
"But if this is all true, there is something you could do for me. For all of us. The Jarl needs to know if there's a dragon on the loose. Riverwood is defenseless... We need to get word to Jarl Balgruuf in Whiterun, to send whatever troops he can. If you do that, I'll be in your debt."  
She nodded. Off to Embershard mine. It was closer, and she figured it'd be a short errand to run. Gerdur continued talking to Ralof, but Sapphire walked away.  
Sapphire had walked back along the path she'd just been on. It was uneventful, aside from collecting a dead wolves' hide, until she came to the side-path leading to the mine. There was an Orc by the entrance and when he saw her, he smiled.  
"Now ain't this a surprise." He said before charging her with an iron war axe. She hit him the the face with her shield, then crushed his wind pipe with it. He died relatively easy, he only wore fur armor. On top of that, no helmet and no shirt. Just fur armor-pants and hide boots. He had 8 septims and an amethyst in his pockets.  
"Damn bandits." She muttered and entered the mine.  
It was dim inside. And dirt was everywhere. After walking through the dirt tunnel, she heard voices.  
"Hey," She said, stepping on a bridge at the end of the tunnel. "I was wondering-"  
"HUH?!" The two men asked in unison.  
They were bandits. Shit.  
She stabbed one in the stomach, he had a mace. The other had an iron club and she just bashed him with her shield, and cut his knees open.  
Both bled out almost instantly.  
Between the two, she gained 12 gold, a lockpick, and a garnet.  
She got a pickaxe sitting on the ground and mined away at an iron ore vein. It yielded 3 iron ore. She got rid of a sword on her waist and replaced it with the pickaxe. Turning to her left, she saw a collapsed part of the mine, a skeleton, a coin purse and a journal. She collected the coins and the journal. Going up some stairs to a balcony, there was a lever. She pulled it and a lifted section of the bridge fell, forming a second balcony. Very noisily.  
"Shit."  
Two bandits had been alerted and they were no easy fight. She had to drink a bitter healing potion after the fight. Between the two of them, she yet again found 12 gold. One had an iron club, and another had a tapered iron battle staff. Not magical, a large iron heavy fucking istick/i.  
Crossing the bridge and into another tunnel, a female bandit attacked her. She had some gold and a key, that Sapphire took. It unlocked the door to a storage-type room with a chest. In it she took 96 gold, 4 lock picks, an or gosh war axe that was enchanted, a poison and a potion. She also took the spell tone and gold sitting on a table.  
"This small pouch is starting to get full." She mumbled and dropped her third sword for the orcish war axe. She'd learn the enchantment sometime. Continuing on, she came to a cavern. With more bandits. Yippee. The first was a bandit outlaw. A Khajiit at that. She took the lightly armored kitty down quickly. And was shot in the shoulder by a crossbow bolt.  
"Arg!" Sapphire yelled. It was her left arm, her shield arm. Amazing what adrenaline can do to you, as she charged and killed a bandit with a steel battle axe, then charged the woman with the crossbow and stuck her sword through her face. Then she slumped down, exhausted.  
After a few minutes of screaming in agony, she pulled the bolt from her shoulder and downed three healing potions. The wound closed within ten minutes.  
She collected gold from all of the bodies, two iron ingots and two iron ore, a book titled "Light Armor Forging", a coin purse, bread, the crossbow and crossbow bolts, mined two iron ore from a vein, gained another coin purse, unlocked a chest (breaking 2 lockpicks,) and gained 43 gold from it. She decided this was enough, as she was basically a walking pack mule now, and was lucky to see a second entrance, or exit, to the mine without further battle.  
Eventually, she found Riverwood and the blacksmith.  
"Hello." Sapphire said.  
"Hello. I remember you from yesterday."  
"Yesterday? I was in the mine overnight?"  
"Indeed. So I assume you did as asked?"  
"Indeed. I now have 446 septims also." Sapphire said as she gave him the right iron ore and two ingots.  
"Thank you. I've made some steel Nordic gauntlets while you were gone." He said, giving her a steel horned helmet and steel cuffed boots.  
"I'll buy them." She said. "And ill sell you my boots and helmet, now. They're in good shape, only the main armor price is damaged."  
The blacksmith bought the imperial boots and helmet along with the imperial bracers when she bought the Nordic gauntlets.  
"Have any steel armor?"  
"No. I have iron banded armor, which is better than that Imperial armor, but making steel would cost you extra and I'd have to stay up all night forging it."  
"I'll take it, and a steel shield."  
Sapphire bought the iron banded armor, and steel shield. Then she sold him her iron shield.  
"I'm going to rent a room at the inn. Ill sell you the main imperial armor peace tomorrow."  
"Will do. May I ask your name, m'lady?"  
"Sapphire. Sapphire Valentinia."  
"And I'm Alvor. Welcome to Riverwood."  
At the Sleeping Giant Inn, it was pretty empty.  
A woman was nagging at the man behind the bar, but as Sapphire walked in she said to her;  
"You're that visitor been poking around. Can I get you anything?"  
"Can I rent a room?"  
"Sure thing. Ten septims for twenty four hours."  
Sapphire gave her the money.  
"It's the one on the left."  
Sapphire went in, stripped of her armor, and went to bed instantly.  
She woke the next morning. She felt well rested, and quickly put her robes back on, as she slept completely nude.  
She picked up the damaged imperial armor, but left the rest on the floor in her room.  
Outside when she met Alvor he smiled.  
"That armor's quite deceiving, your a lot smaller under it all."  
"Thanks." She said blushing. She knew what he meant. The Imperial Captain she got the armor from had weighed alot more, and had been older. Heck, the woman had bigger breast size too. "Anyway..." She said. "I have this armor."  
Alvor nodded. "Ill have to fix the shoulder but it should be easy. So how did you get your hands on an Imperial Captain's armor?"  
"Well, I used to be an Imperial Soldier in High Rock, but got re-stationed in Cyrodiil. Then, I decided to come visit my brother in Skyrim and here I am."  
"Well, welcome to Skyrim. Safe travels to you. And here." He said, giving her the coins in return for the armor.  
She then went back to the inn, grabbed the bear pelt and wolf pelt, then brought them back. She turned it into four leather and four leather strips all together. She then put it all together, and after an hour of leathercrafting, she made a Leather Big Belt Bag and fastened it on her belt, on the right side. She then entered the inn, and put her armor on. So now she had two bags to hold things in... And 31 septims left.  
She went into the main part of the inn and at some of the bread from her pack.  
"We drink to our youth, to the days come and gone. For the age of aggression is just about done." A bard, no a townsperson started singing. "We'll drive out the Stormcloaks and restore what we own. With our blood and our steel we'll-"  
"Can I make a request?"  
"Sure. What can I do for you?"  
"Anything but that song."  
The young man laughed... Then she recognized him. It was the man who's mother had seen the dragon. "A Stormcloak, are you?"  
"Undecided."  
"Oh right...  
Oh, there once was a hero named Ragnar the Red..."  
She tuned him out, now and began to study her two spell tomes. As she read each page, it dissolved, the memory and knowledge they contained seeping into her mind until the books were no more. She learned Sparks and Clairvoyance. Then she got up and exited the inn and went to Alvor.  
"You're back."  
"Yes, I forgot to tell you why Embershard has stopped supplying."  
"You know?" He asked.  
"Indeed. You see, it was overrun by bandits and I only saw one miners' corpse. It was under a collapsed section, and I believe most of the mine was behind it. If so, most of the mine is sealed off and the miners behind dead. Plus I have this," she said showing him the tattered journal.  
"What is it?"  
"I haven't read it, but it was on the corpse. Well, the skeleton."  
Alvor began to read the journal aloud.  
"iThey've had me working down here for days now. It's not the time that's getting to me though, it's these tunnels. I've told them countless times now to add extra supports to the weak sections of tunnel.  
If only we had more of those wooden beams that we reinforced with bronze bottoms. Honestly, if I hear the earth shift one more time above my head I'll be so stressed I may stop drinking for good. I mean, what's a Nord without his mead?/i"  
The sat there in awkward silence.  
"That's uhh..." Sapphire started.  
"Maybe the bandits had them working." Alvor said.  
Sapphire nodded. "We'll it's taken care of. Hope you can find a new supplier. Meanwhile I need to get to Whiterun. Bye Alvor."  
"By Sapphire. Safe travels."

The trip to Whiterun was rather uneventful. She killed killed a rabbit, a wolf, found a dead elk, then she freed a Stormcloak soldier and killed the three imperial captors.  
Things got interesting when she saw a giant on the horizon and sprinted towards the battle scene. When she got fifteen yards from it, it died. She studied its killers. One of them, a beautiful red headed Nord, walked up to her.  
"We'll that's taken care of, no thanks to you."  
She decided her best course of action was to play it cool.  
"Didn't look like you needed any help at all."  
"Certainly not, but a true warrior would have relished the opportunity to take on a giant. That's why I'm here, with my Shield-Brothers."  
"What's a Sheild-Brother?" She asked, curious.  
"Ah, an Outsider, eh? Never heard of the Companions? An order of warriors. We are brothers and sisters in honor. And we show up to solve problems if the coin is good enough."  
"Would I be able to join you?"  
"Not for me to say. You'll have to talk to Kodlak Whitemane in Jorrvaskr. The old mans got a good sense for people. He can look in your eyes and tell your worth. If you go to him, good luck."  
The three of them took off towards Whiterun. She could only follow, though she kept her distance.  
Soon, she passed the stables and entered a doorless gate. She then crossed a small plank bridge, and turned right to cross a drawbridge. The whole time, she'd been admiring the architecture in the cobblestone walls all around. This city has obviously survived many battles. Crossing the drawbridge, she turned left to the main gate.  
"Halt. City's closed with dragons about. Official business only.  
"I have news from Helgen about the dragon attack."  
"Fine, but we'll be keeping an eye on you."  
Then, they opened the giant gates and she stepped into Whiterun.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Death and Destruction**  
"We are young, we have heart  
Born in this world as it all falls apart  
We are strong, we don't belong  
Born in this world as it all falls apart."  
-Aron "Deuce" Erlichman

Whiterun was beautiful.  
It was here, as she stepped into those gates, that she found she loved Nordic architecture.  
As she walked, a man was talking to a woman about paying for swords for Imperial Soldiers, a man told her something about Ulfric, guards constantly nagged her, and others.  
The city was full of life and people.  
She didn't know who to talk to, but after a bit of walking she saw a man leaning against a building in iron armor. She decided to talk to him.  
"Hello." Sapphire said.  
"Well me, traveler. What brings you to Whiterun?"  
"I seek the Jarl." She said.  
"The Jarl! The Jarl's a busy man. Why would you disturb him?"  
"Well, I have a message for him. Could you be so kind as to show me the way?"  
"Well..." The man said. "I suppose. He's that way." The man said, pointing North. "Up the stairs, pass the preacher and up more stairs. You can't miss it."  
"Thank you. May I get your name?"  
"Jon Battle-Born. And you, m'lady?"  
"Sapphire Valentinia. Good day, Jon." She said, and followed his directions. Sure enough, a man was preaching to no-one in particular about Talos. Right next to him, a large stone stairway leading to a beautiful large building. After heading up the stairs, the two guards at the giant wooden doors pushed them open for her.  
And she stepped into Dragonsreach.  
She didn't allow herself to enjoy the inside of the large building. She ran straight up to the Jarl's throne...  
And was stopped by a Dunmer.  
"What's the meaning of this interruption? Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving visitors."  
"Gerdur sent me. Riverwood is in danger."  
"As housecarl, my job is to deal with all dangers that threaten the Jarl or his people. So you have my attention. Now explain yourself."  
Sapphire sighed, but obeyed.  
"A... Dragon... Has destroyed Helgen."  
"What?" She asked genuinely surprised. "You know about Helgen?"  
Sapphire was conscious of the fact the the Jarl, who had been arguing with his steward, was now watching her quietly.  
"The Jarl will want to speak to you personally. Approach."  
She stepped up to the Jarl.  
"So, you were at Helgen? You saw this... Dragon. With your own eyes?"  
She decided there was three ways to take this. She decided that the one that didn't talk about her being a criminal in the Imperial's eyes, or talk about Ulfric.  
"The dragon destroyed Helgen and I last saw it heading this way."  
"By Ysmir, Irileth was right! What do you say now, Proventus? Shall we continue to trust in the strength of our walls? Against a dragon?"  
"My lord," Said the housecarl. "We should sent troops to Riverwood at once. It's in the most immediate danger, if that dragon is lurking in the mountains-"  
"The Jarl if Fallreath will view that as a provocation! He'll assume we're preparing to join Ulfric's side and attack him! We should not-"  
"Enough!" The Jarl barked. The whole room went silent. "I'll not stand idly by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people! Irileth, send a detachment to Riverwood at once."  
"Yes, my Jarl." She said and hurried off.  
"If you'll excuse me, I'll return to my duties." The steward, Proventus, said.  
"That would be best." The Jarl said softly. Then he looked to Sapphire. "Well done. You sought me out on your own initiative. You've done Whiterun a service and I won't forget it. As a small token of my esteem, I'll order you a piece of steel armor. But there is another thing you could do for me. Suitable for someone of your... Particular talents, perhaps."  
Sapphire raised an eyebrow.  
"Come, let's go find Farengar, my court wizard. He's been looking into a matter related to these dragons and... Rumors of dragons."  
He stood and lead her to a room on the right side of Dragonsreach. A Mage in blue robes stood, as if waiting for something impatiently.  
"Farengar," The Jarl said to the Mage, apparently named Farengar. "I think I've found someone who can help you with you dragon project. Go ahead and fill her in with all the details."  
"So the Jarl thinks you can be of use to me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, yes... He must be referring to my research into the dragons."  
Okay. The man was showing off. Sapphire rolled her eyes.  
"And yes, I could use someone to fetch something for me. Well, when I say fetch, I really mean delve into a dangerous ruin in search of an ancient stone tablet that may or may not actually be there."  
Sapphire sighed. "Fine. Where am I going and what am I fetching?"  
"Straight to the point, eh? No need for tedious hows and whys. I like that. Leave those details to your betters, am I right?"  
"No. Now quit treating me like a child and tell me where to go before I slice your head off."  
"I, uh... L-learned of a certain tablet said to be housed in Bleak Falls Barrow - a 'Dragonstone,' said to contain a map of dragon burial sites. Go to Bleak Falls Barrow, find this tablet, no doubt-"  
"I get it. What's this Bleak Falls Barrow?"  
"It's an old tomb, built by the ancient Nords, perhaps dating back to the Dragon War itself. Ah, maybe you just want to know how to get there."  
Sapphire raised an eyebrow. iYou think?/i  
"It's near Riverwood, a miserable little village a few miles south of here."  
"Thank you." Sapphire said. Finally.

Sapphire finally arrived back in Riverwood. She'd sold her iron banded armor, gained the steel armor the Jarl ordered for her, sold the gold ring to Fralia Gray-Mane and bought a silver one, sold her wolf pelt and deer hide, along with a few leather strips, ran to Riverwood, uneventfully, and now here she was.  
Fighting a bandit.  
She had arrived at night, and heard Alvor's daughter yelling 'Leave me alone!'  
She ran to investigate and saw Alvor get hacked in the stomach. She killed the woman easily, then stuck her sword through the Nan's face, who had been backing her up with a crossbow.  
"These vampires are becoming a real menace." Said a Whiterun guard near her.  
Vampires? So these were thralls. Not bandits. So that- Alvor!  
She ran to find him on the ground near the woman, blood everywhere.  
"Look out!" A guard shouted and shot his crossbow.  
Straight at her face.  
Sapphire ducked down and heard a grunt behind her. The guard had killed a vampire, and saved her life. The Vampire, who she recognized to be a Master Vampire, had almost killed her. She knelt down and felt Alvor's pulse.  
Dead.  
She hadn't known him well, but he seemed like a nice guy. She'd get revenge.  
She searched the thralls and the vampire, gaining a silver jeweled ring, a nice amount of gold, more steel bolts for her crossbow, vampire dust, a book titled 'Ahzirr Traajijaleri', which she threw back down at the vampire she'd gotten it from.  
Then a Bosmer walked up to her.  
"You helped save us. It's sad that Alvor died, but he died protecting his family. Have this, as a token of my friendship, for helping fight off those... Things." And he gave her a book. 'Killing - Before you're killed.'

Sapphire woke up the next morning in the inn feeling well rested. She had rented a room after last night, and quickly left town when she woke. She followed the road, until it forked at the bridge. She turned left and hiked along the path. She was attacked by a wolf, but it was rather boring hike.  
Until she saw the watchtower.  
She saw two people guarding it, also. She couldn't be sure they weren't bandits, however, so she pulled her crossbow off of her back. Sapphire was never good at archery, but she was better with a crossbow than a longbow, short bow, or recurve bow.  
Upon approaching, the shivering guard pulled out his great sword.  
He had fur armor. Bandit. Damn.  
Instantly, she fired and hit the poor fool. He died instantly.  
"Hey!" Another bandit yelled, and aimed his bow.  
Sapphire and the bandit both shot and missed. Shot and missed. Shot and missed. Of course, they both constantly moved. If Sapphire had stopped to put her crossbow up and get her sword out, she'd get shot. So they danced, until Sapphire got a lucky shot.  
It hit him in the chest, he stumbled back, stunned, then his knees buckled. He was dead. She found 10 gold and 2 lockpicks in between the bodies. She took a coin purse from inside the tower and equipped her sword and shield. Upon climbing higher, she saw another bandit. They both waited for the first move.  
Sapphire made it.  
"Heeeeaaaaghh!" She said, charged, and swung. And sunk her steel sword into the female bandit's heart. She had 7 gold on her, and sapphire found 78 more in a chest near her. It also had 4 lockpicks and a magicka a potion.  
Sapphire left the tower, rounded the corner, and gasped. Through the snowy blizzard, she saw the barrow. And it was spectacular. She waded through the snow to get closer, and eventually walked up the steps leading to the barrow.  
"Ha! Found you!"  
Huh!  
Instantly, a bandit shot at her, and alerted the other two up there. Shit. She charged up the steps, shield in front. She slashed and bashed the first one down the steps, then the second, which was an Orc with a warhammer. The third, however, was an archer like the first. She ran up the stairs and grabbed him by the head.  
"No!" He pleaded.  
She threw him back down and let him get up. He pulled out a dagger and yelled. "You won't leave here alive!"  
So she smashed him in the face three times with her shield, then swung it, the edge crushing and cutting his throat. He let out one last strangler scream as he fell, blood seeping from his mouth. She found 16 septims on his body, and went to search the others. The Orc had 9 gold and the first archer had 10. She ran up the remaining stairs and quietly pushed open the dark metal door.  
The inside was mossy, crumbled, ruins.  
But it was warm.  
She crouched and crept over to the body of a bandit and looted 11 coins from him.  
"...so we're just supposed to sit here..."  
She could hear two other bandits on the far side of the room, but had trouble making their words out.  
"...While Arvel..."  
She crept closer.  
"That Arvel wants to go on ahead, let him. Better than us risking our h-"  
"Huh!?" The female bandit said looking straight at Sapphire.  
Sapphire lunged up and charged. She cut the man down mid-run. The woman was an archer. Sapphire stumbled back as an arrow plunged into her shield. A good archer.  
As the woman nocked another arrow, Sapphire ran her through the chest with her sword.  
She found 3 gold on the male and 7 on the woman.  
She wasted 2 lockpicks opening a chest, but got 60 gold and a potion from it.  
Then she sat by their fire and nibbled on the last of her bread. She wouldn't get a real meal until Riverwood. Great. After eating the last half of her bread, she continued on.  
She tripped over vines. A lot of vines. She found it annoying, but if someone was with her they might've laughed. The tomb was long, dark, twisted, foggy, crumbling, annoying. She killed a bandit, finished a trap puzzle (Snake, snake, dolphin). Found a soul gem, got 7 gold from a chest, got a book titled 'Thief' and grabbed a potion. Killed three skeevers, found her favorite poison (paralysis), found a scroll. Killed a GIANT spider, killed Arvel, took his journal and the golden claw. Found another soul gem, killed Draugr, killed more Draugr. She replaced her crappy Imperial sword with a crappy Ancient Nord Sword, killed even more Draugr and got some nice loot. Killed more Draugr, fought a restless Draugr Lich (Scary bastard, that one), mined iron, looted a chest, killed a Draugr, looted another chest (breaking 2 lockpicks), looted a skeleton, was frustrated and pissed the whole way through, killed a restless Draugr and looted one more chest...  
Then things got interesting.  
The room had a large double-wooden door. It opened to the Bleak Falls Sanctum.  
Sapphire pushed the door open. Inside was a large brazier with a still lit fire. Must've been magic. She kept going through the tomb, almost dying and killing off many Draugr.  
She took an arrow from a Draugr archer, in the left calf, cut the back end off, and pulled it through the other side. She screamed in pain all the while. Now she couldn't walk. She drank two healing potions, but passed out from pain. A few hours later, she woke, but stumbled through the rest of the sanctum. Eventually she came to a long room with pictures, elegant beautiful detailed pictures, drawn along the walls. More like carved. At the end of the hall was a strange circular door, with animals on it. And a claw mark in the center. She looked at the golden claw to see a bear, a moth... Or locust... A bug. And an owl. She moved the rings until the door matched, she put the claw in the center, and turned it. When she pulled it out, the rings turned to three owls, and the door slowly and noisily moved down.  
She continued and came to a huge, spectacular cavern.  
"Woah..." She breathed, right before taking ten bats to the face. "Agh! Ack! Ew!" She screamed. After getting over the flying rodents, she continued and saw a large...  
Shrine...  
It was beautiful. She crossed the bridge and went up to it.  
Then, a large wall with strange runes, started calling to her.  
"Hah, hu hwah, hah, hu hwah, hah, hu hwah, hah, hu hwah." One of the words was filled with blue energy. It looked like pure magical. Tendrils of it broke off and flew at her, more and more as she drew nearer. As she got up to the word, her vision got darkerand she instantly knew it was Ancient Dragon. She didn't know how she knew, she just did. She also recognized the word as... Fus. Force.  
Then... It all stopped. All was calm. Vision returned.  
Clunk.  
The sound of a coffin opening behind her.  
Shit.  
She turned to see a Draugr climbing out. But she knew it wasn't a normal Draugr. It pulled out its ancient Nord battle axe, which glowed blue with frost, and looked straight at her.  
"Fus... Ro Dah!"  
Wait-  
Fwoosh! A shockwave of energy hit her, but seemed to go around her like air. It only just stumbled her.  
She charged and slashed, getting it on the head. It was a critical strike, but it still stood. She smashed it with her shield and swung again. And again. And again. Then, it fell over and she plunged her sword into its stomach.  
She tried not to gag, but ended up retching. She strapped its battle axe to her back, put the ancient stone tablet in her book bag, and took 26 gold from the corpse. She saw a chest next to the coffin.  
125 gold, a garnet, 3 lockpicks, novice robes of conjugation (FEMALES! Not from a dead male guy!), a soul gem, and a spell tome. She continued on a little, looting another two chests, and...  
She saw the end. It opened up to a cave outside!  
She was basically a walking pack mule by now, she probably couldn't fight if need be. Good thing she made it back to Riverwood uneventfully.  
Then a courier ran up to her.  
"I've been looking for you. Got something I'm supposed to deliver. Your hands only. Let's see here... Ah! A letter from the Jarl! Moving up in the world, eh? Well, looks like that's it. Got to go."  
She took the letter and opened it, curious.

"iSapphire Valentinia,

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Siddiger, and I have the honor to be the Jarl of the proud and ancient city of Falkreath.

The fame of your exploit in Whiterun has brought you to my attention. If you are interested in becoming a Thane of Falkreath hold, I invite you to speak to me next time you are in Falkreath. Aside from the honor that accrues to the title, my Thanes are entitled to a personal housecarl. I also can tell you privately that a choice of land in Falkreath would be available for your purchase should your services prove useful to me.

I look forward to meeting you in person.

I remain,  
Jarl Siddiger of Falkreath./i"

Sapphire folded the note and put it away. Interesting. She'd definitely meet Siddiger some time. It was night time, and she decided to sleep at the inn until early morning. She woke at 5:13 AM. And set off for Whiterun.

As she walked through the forest, she heard a distant roar.  
A familiar roar. A roar that made her body go rigid.  
A powerful gust of wind sent her sprawling as a dragon flew overhead, towards Whiterun...  
"Oh no." She whispered.

"Farengar!" Sapphire called, bursting through the Dragonsreach doors. Sapphire rand through Dragonsreach and turned to see Farengar talking to a woman.  
"Farengar." She said again.  
"Ah! The Dragonstone of Bleak Falls Barrow." He said, taking it. "Seems you are a cut above the usual brutes the Jarl sends my way."  
"Okay. I got it for you. But I need to tell you somethin-"  
"Here is where your job ends and mine begins. The work of the mind, sadly undervalued in Skyrim. My... Associate here will be pleased to see your handiwork. She discovered its location by means she has so far declined to share with me." Farengar turned to the hooded woman. "So your information was correct after all. And we have our friend here to thank for recovering it for us."  
"You went into Bleak Falls Barrow and got that? Nice work." Sapphire recognized the voice... Though not sure where. "Farengar, send me a copy when you deciphered it."  
"Yeah, yeah... Farengar!" Sapphire tried again.  
"Farengar!" Irileth's voice. Great. More interruptions. "Farengar, you need to come at once. A dragon's been sighted nearby. You should come too."  
"I tried to tell you." Sapphire said under her breath.  
"A dragon! How exiting! Where was it seen? What was it doing?"  
"I'd take this a bit more serious if I were you. If a dragon decides to attack Whiterun I don't know if we can stop it."  
They followed Irileth to a further place in Dragonsreach, up stairs where the Jarl was waiting. A guard caught up with them too.  
The Jarl looked to the Whiterun guard. "So, Irileth tells me you came from the western watchtower?"  
"Yes, my lord."  
"Tell him what you told me. About the dragon." Irileth said forcefully.  
"Uh... That's right. We saw it coming from the south. It was fast... Faster than anything I've ever seen."  
"What did it do?" The Jarl asked. "Is it attacking the watchtower?"  
"No, my lord. It was just circling overhead when I left. I never ran so fast in my life... I thought it'd come after me for sure."  
The Jarl nodded somberly. "Good work, son. We'll take it from here. Head down to the barracks for some food and rest. You've earned it." After the guard walked away, he turned to Irileth. "Irileth, you'd better get some guardsmen and get down there."  
"I've already ordered my men to muster near the main gate."  
"Good. Don't fail me." Then he looked to Sapphire. "There's no time to stand on ceremony, my friend. I need your help again. I want you to go with Irileth and help her fight this dragon. You survived Helgen, so you have more experience with dragons than anyone else here. But I haven't forgotten the service you did for me in retrieving the Dragonstone for Farengar. As a token of my esteem, I have instructed Proventus Avenicci that you are now permitted to purchase property in the city. And you will be entitled to a gift from my personal armory. An iron helmet of minor restoration. Come get it later."  
Sapphire followed Irileth, as Farengar argued with the Jarl about going along with them. Sapphire and Irileth didn't wait, however. They knew the answer would be no.  
Sapphire opened the doors of Dragonsreach with a sigh.  
Great. Barely survived a few Draugr and off to fight a dragon.


End file.
